Spirulina powder -
HélicA
The region has more and more spirulina producers.
This microalgae from the cyanobacteria family is one of the most protein-rich organisms on the planet.
Be careful, however, to the wide variety of quality spirulina found on the market.
The return of sunny days and the rise in temperatures will mean the revival of the production of spirulina in New Aquitaine.
This microalgae of the cyanobacteria family indeed needs sun and heat to develop.
Rediscovered in recent years after having experienced a first golden age in the years 1970-1980, spirulina has a hundred producers in France, who grow it in artificial and closed basins.
From the Arcachon basin to the Médoc via Lot-et-Garonne, New Aquitaine has become a true land of spirulina.
But what is it exactly?
"One of the richest organisms in protein, iron and magnesium on the planet"
"Spirulina is one of the first organisms to appear on Earth," recalls Marc Cazaux, president and founder of HélicA, a producer from Lot-et-Garonne, winner of "The start-up is in the meadow" in 2016. It is one of the richest organisms in protein, iron and magnesium on the planet.
It is consumed by athletes, especially before a particular event, or by people who feel tired - in particular it alleviates the little bit of hypoglycemia that we sometimes have at the end of the afternoon.
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Julie Estingoy, from La spiruline de Julie en Gironde, has also had a new clientele for a few months.
"We have more and more post-Covid people who are not getting out of it," she assures us.
These are people who are looking for solutions, I have the case of a firefighter who has been arrested for ten months after catching Covid-19 and who can no longer move.
"However, studies and time will be needed to verify whether the microalgae has an effect or not in the recovery of a long Covid.
No miracle either
Sometimes presented as a superfood, spirulina does not work a miracle anyway.
And beware of all the benefits that are attributed to it, several doctors highlighting the lack of robust scientific studies in this area.
It does not help to lose weight, contrary to what some sites claim, and its anti-inflammatory or anti-allergic properties remain to be demonstrated.
In any case, you have to look at the origin of the spirulina you buy, knowing that it accumulates heavy metals when its environment is polluted.
For example, nothing annoys our two local producers more than “certain Chinese spirulina labeled Organic Agriculture and which flood our market, when in reality they are of poor quality.
"For a good spirulina, it is above all necessary" to filter and clean your algae "insists the president of HélicA.
“Most people believe that it is not good, many say that it smells like fish food,” continues Marc Cazaux, “when in fact our spirulina has a very light smell, a little floral, and which passes very well in the mouth, all because it is clean.
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The phycocyanin molecule, a marker of the quality of spirulina
“A first quality marker, he insists, is the protein level which must be at least 60%, and another is the phycocyanin molecule which is one of the main active ingredients of spirulina. .
It is this which gives a large part of its properties, by boosting your immune system.
It must be present at a level of 15% minimum, which is not always the case because it is very sensitive to growing conditions.
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Phycocyanin is also what is highlighted in La spiruline de Julie.
"We chose a strain of spirulina called Paracas, it is a little more complicated to harvest, but it has a much higher level of phycocyanin, and that is what makes the quality of the product, because this pigment blue develops the whole immune aspect of spirulina.
"Finally," we must look at the drying methods, insists Marc Cazaux: we must avoid drying spirulina at high temperature, that is to say at more than 40 ° C, to preserve its active ingredients and in particular its vitamins. .
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To be consumed in the form of flakes, capsules or twigs
Spirulina comes in the form of flakes that can be mixed with fruit juices or yogurts, or vegetable capsules.
At HélicA, “the price is 25 euros per jar of flakes for a month and a half of treatment, or 20 euros per jar of capsules for a month of treatment.
It's a little more expensive than imported spirulina, but the quality is much better, ”assures Marc Cazaux.
Julie Estingoy also offers it in the form of twigs.
"I like to consume it in twigs, on chocolate or in a salad, it allows me to decorate my dishes on a daily basis" says the producer, who has completely abandoned the consumption of meat with her husband, since they are put on spirulina.
It can be consumed during cures of one or two months, or daily.
"Me, I am at 10 grams per day" says Julie Estingoy.
"ANSES recommends a maximum of 40 grams per day, which is already a lot", specifies Marc Cazaux, who estimates "that from two grams per day, we already feel the effects.
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Even if the cultivated areas doubled between 2014 and 2018, France only produces around 40 tonnes of spirulina per year, whereas it is consumed ... ten times more in the territory.
90% come from imports, mainly from large industrial farms in China, the United States and India.
The French production market therefore still has a bright future ahead of it.
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